Category Archives: 4 – Good (buy)

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Buxton Brewery, England, Stout - Imperial

Buxton The Living End (Bourbon Barrel Aged)

Tuesday, 31 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Buxton Brewery
Country: England
ABV: 11%
Style: American Imperial Stout
Other Notes: Bourbon barrel aged Stout

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Months spent in wood have imparted characteristic sweet, vanilla and oak flavours and aromas into this rich Imperial Stout.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.31
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.2

Intro: A 330ml bottle, 11% ABV version, bottled on 30th October 2015 and best before 30th October 2020. Poured into a snifter glass.
Appearance: It poured a pitch black with an extremely thin brown head that disappeared almost immediately and left nice spotty lacing.
Aroma: Dark chocolate and bourbon with hints of mocha coffee and sweet vanilla.
Taste: Sweet mocha, dark chocolate, bourbon notes, vanilla and molasses with light caramel and a lasting light nutty ashy finish.
Mouthfeel: Oily, full bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: A nice Imperial Stout that was not overly sweet and with light bourbon notes.

4 - Good (buy), American Double IPA, Beer Reviews, Stone Brewing Co., USA

Stone Enjoy By 05.30.16 Tangerine IPA

Sunday, 29 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Stone Brewing Co.
Country: USA
ABV: 9.4%
Style: American Double IPA
Other Notes: Enjoy by 30th May 2016. Brewed to be enjoyed within 37 days.

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Our all-important , hop-driven quest to deliver the most devastatingly fresh IPA on the planet facilitated a paradigm shift in 2012 with the launch of Stone Enjoy By IPA. Not only did we brew this beer with more than 10 different hops, we brewed it specifically NOT to last. Acclaimed for its groundbreakingly short shelf life, this intense double IPA brought forth a whole new concept of what constitutes “fresh” – guaranteeing fans the ultimate level of hoppiness. For Stone Enjoy By Tangerine IPA, we added the tangy zeal of a mandarin fruit’s juicy nectar. The result… freshness has never tasted as ripe for the picking as this does right now.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.19
My ratebeer.com rating: 4.1

Intro: A 22 fl oz bomber bottled on 23rd April 2016 and to be enjoy by 30th May 2016. Poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a clear golden orange colour with a two finger off white head that had decent retention and left nice lacing.
Aroma: Sweet zesty and juicy mandarin and a hint of grapefruit zest and pith.
Taste: Very citrusy with sweet mandarin and bitter grapefruit pith and zest. There’s a hint of pine and caramel malt with the bitterness nice and lasting.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: For some reason I thought I had a bit more time to drink this. But in any case, I did manage to drink it within its limit. It was a great Double IPA with nice mandarin sweetness and grapefruit bitterness that lasts.

4 - Good (buy), 55th Street Craft Brewery, American IPA, Beer Reviews, Taiwan

55th Street Session IPA

Thursday, 26 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: 55th Street Craft Brewery
Country: Taiwan
ABV: 4.8%
Style: American IPA
Other Notes: Hops – Citra, Centennial and Cascade

Brewer Description: (from bottle) Brewed mostly with Citra, Centennial and Cascade hops. This beer is hoppy and citrusy, refreshing and light bodied. It is low in alcohol but full of character, ultimately highly satisfying! Best paired with a light meal and Summer Breeze! Our Session IPA is the first of a limited release series of small batch beers.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 4.08
My ratebeer.com rating: 4

Intro: A 330ml bottle bottled on 14th March 2016 and poured into a Spiegelau IPA glass.
Appearance: It poured a slightly hazy golden orange colour with a nice three finger white head that had great retention and left nice sticky lacing.
Aroma: Citrus lemon and lime, some light tropical peach and apricot, good strong pine and a hint of breadiness at times.
Taste: Light grapefruit bitterness, pine, peach, passionfruit and a hint of honey and bread.
Mouthfeel: Dry, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: A nice Session IPA that is easily drinkable.

4 - Good (buy), Beer Reviews, Birra del Borgo, Fruit Beer, Italy

Birra del Borgo Prunus

Monday, 16 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Birra del Borgo
Country: Italy
ABV: 5.8%
Style: Fruit Beer
Other Notes: 21 IBUs

Brewer Description: (from website) Prunus (from the cherry’s bothanical name, Prunus Avium or Cerasus according to variety) is made adding to our spelt beer Duchessa about 20% of fresh cherries with their stones. Differently from the typical Belgian kriek, it is not too sour as it keeps some of the Duchessa’s smoothness. Yet it’s not sugary indeed, thanks to the well balanced bitter aftertaste.

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.92
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of September 2017 and poured into a Duvel tulip glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy orange golden colour with a thin white head that doesn’t stick around and only leaves some light lacing.
Aroma: Tart, sour, cherry, apple vinegar and light funkiness.
Taste: Like the aroma, taste is tart, sour cherry, sour apple and lemon.
Mouthfeel: Dry, crisp, light bodied with moderate carbonation.
Overall: Nice and easy to drink, but I preferred Rubus slightly more.

4 - Good (buy), American Imperial Pilsner, Beer Reviews, Birra del Borgo x Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, Italy

Birra del Borgo x Dogfish Head My Antonia

Sunday, 15 May 2016 kitch Leave a comment

Brewery: Birra del Borgo x Dogfish Head Craft Brewery
Country: Italy
ABV: 7.5%
Style: American Imperial Pilsner
Other Notes: 76 IBUs. Continually-hopped Imperial Pils

Brewer Description: (from website) 10-28-2008 was a great day for me… Sam Calagione from Dogfish Head Brewery, one of the most well-known American brewers, came to Borgorose to create and brew a special beer in collaboration with us. We chose a style: a Pilsner. But obviously not a regular one… we designed a something stronger, around 7% ABV and of course it had to be hoppy! We choose the malt: Pilsner and Cara-Pils. Easy! Sam chooses two hops, Simcoe and Warrior, I choose the third one: Saaz. Traditional and new ingredients together. We start the mash, then we lauter and start the boil, the crowning moment. Before the boil started Sam mixed the hops creating a wonderfully perfumed potion. Once the mix was ready we started hopping. A fistful of hops was added every minute for 60 minutes… The result? An intriguing beer, extremely perfumed, where floral and resiny notes mix together. The mouth feel is explosive but balanced at the same time. The honey notes form the malts and the peppery ones from the hops mix in a very elegant and precise finish. I can’t stop drinking it, it’s my new favorite…

My rating: 4
My beeradvocate.com rating: 3.79
My ratebeer.com rating: 3.8

Intro: A 330ml bottle with a best before date of October 2016 and poured into a Mikkeller pint glass.
Appearance: It poured a hazy golden orange colour with a two finger slightly off white head that had great retention and left thick sticky lacing.
Aroma: Citrus lemon and orange, some pineapple and a hint of grass and herbs.
Taste: Sweet honey, lemon and orange with a hint of grapefruit and herbal bitterness.
Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with light carbonation.
Overall: This was a great and refreshing Pilsner. Aromas were a bit weak but it looks and tastes good.

words of another dreamy traveller